Title: Somewhere In Between
Author: Courtney
Email: courtneystovall@yahoo.com
Rating: R
Category: Bella POV; Alt-Universe
Summary: Bella wakes up one morning to find everything she knows in life has changed
overnight. Now, caught in some sort of strange reality, can she ever find her way back to the way
things used to be . . . and does she really want to go back?
Disclaimer: I own them all and they'll be appearing this fall on *my* network, ok?
Author's Notes: I wanted to write an alternate universe fic for Young Americans where everything
was just a little different than it had been on the show and in trying to come up with something, I
ended up with this. It's not exactly what I had in mind but we'll see how it turns out I guess.
--------------------------------------------
Part 2
There was a warm breeze blowing across the lake that day as she sat for hours and tried to clear
her head. She'd done this a thousand times in her life; sat by this very lake on a late summer day
with everything and nothing on her mind at once. And today the water looked the same as it
always had, the breeze felt no different against her face than ever before. How could this seem
so familiar when the rest of the world had been turned upside down literally overnight?
With a sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree she sat next to. Her
head was pounding by now and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep and wake up to find
that this whole day had never happened. Perhaps it was just some crazy nightmare and soon her
alarm clock would sound and she'd be pulled headfirst back into reality, only to forget this dream
entirely. She certainly hoped so.
But it was seeming less and less likely as the day wore on that this was all in her head. Her arm
was practically black and blue from having pinched herself so many times in a futile attempt to
return to her normal life. And everything else like time and the weather and her thoughts seemed
all too real. This didn't feel like any dream she had ever experienced. The more she thought
about it, the more she started to think that she must have slipped into another dimension while
she slept and that the Bella Banks who belonged here had taken her place on her own plane of
existence. And now she was the rich girl and her friends were all completely bizarre and nothing
would ever be the same again. But that was crazy, right? It couldn't really happen. But then
again, here she was . . .
She needed someone to talk to. That was becoming more and more clear. She'd never resolve
this situation on her own and she'd surely drive herself insane if she tried. But who would she turn
to? Jake and Will already thought she was crazy so they were clearly not in the running. Scout
didn't seem to like her 'type', so she didn't think that would be a good idea. And she had the
feeling that Hamilton would just humor her more than anything else but that he would never really
believe what she was saying. So, who did that leave? Who else could she possibly ask for help in
this mutated world she'd fallen into?
When his name came into her mind, she was surprised she'd thought of it. They'd never been
friends; more like enemies, really. And he'd never seemed very eager to help anyone as far as
she could tell. But then, if Jake could be the school bitch and Will could be a stuck-up rich kid and
Scout and Hamilton could be jaded townies then why couldn't Ryder be a nice guy? It would
certainly be the polar opposite of his normal persona.
She got up, deciding it was worth a shot. After all, he might be her last hope.
* * * * *
She was glad to see that the grocery store was still opened when she arrived back there. She
hadn't realized how late it was getting until she noticed the shadows stretching further down the
main street as she re-entered town that afternoon. But someone was still there when she finally
arrived back at Forrest Grocery.
"Good afternoon, young lady, how may I help you?" an older gentleman who lacked the English
accent she'd been hoping to hear asked her.
"Um, I'm looking for Ryder," she said hopefully.
"Oh, he just left a few minutes ago. I think he went to Friendly's to grab some dinner," the man
offered. "Would you like me to point you in that direction?"
Bella smiled and said, "No thank you, I know where it is," then she turned to leave.
She entered the glass front door of Friendly's only a few minutes later and immediately scanned
the room for him. She found him sitting at a booth in the very back corner of the restaurant with
his back to her. And, she was surprised to see that he was all alone.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked as she stopped beside his table. Ryder looked up, apparently
surprised that anyone had spoken to him.
"Uh . . . no, have a seat," he responded cordially.
Bella sat across from him and found herself smiling at his familiar, although decided more
amiable, face. "You don't remember me," she stated simply. No one else had remembered today,
why should he? He'd barely known her before. She hardly expected that he would--
"Of course I remember you," he said, breaking her thoughts and lifting her hopes as she thought
that perhaps finally someone else was in on this strange game she had been forced into the
middle of. Maybe . . . "You're the girl from the grocery this afternoon," he said with a smile and
her hopes came crashing down again. He didn't remember after all.
"Yes, that's me," she verified, but he could see the disappoint flash across her face with his
words.
"I've said something wrong," he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"
"No, it's not you. You haven't done anything," she assured him. "You're being nice and letting me
sit with you even after I acted like a complete moron at the store this afternoon. I'm sorry about
that, by the way. I don't know what was wrong with me."
Ryder shrugged and said, "No big deal. You just seemed a little stressed."
Bella chuckled. "You don't know the half of it."
"Anything you'd like to talk about?" he asked.
She considered it for a moment, she really did. She could have easily spilled out the whole story
right then and there; dumped all the sorted details into his lap and left him to help her put together
the puzzle . . . but then she thought better of it. What good would that do? He barely knew her; all
he would think was that she was crazy and then she'd once again be all alone. No, she had
managed to connect with one person all day and she was not about to scare him off so soon by
making him think that she'd gone off her lithium or something. "I just have a lot of stuff going on
right now," was all she ended up replying.
He nodded. "I know the feeling. So, I don't think we've been properly introduced. The name's
Ryder Forrest," he said as he extended his hand across the formica tabletop.
"Bella Banks," she replied as she shook his hand and smiled.
"A Rawley girl, I'm guessing."
"It's that obvious, huh?" she said with a slight smirk.
"That's not a bad thing," he assured her.
"It just seems like everyone I've met today has . . . mentioned it. I dunno, I guess I'm just not used
to it," she shrugged.
"You're new in town, then?" he questioned.
"Um . . . in a way yes and in a way no," she answered. "But I do go to Rawley Girls. What about
you?"
"Oh, strictly the public school route," he said. "My dad owns the grocery. Not much money in
produce, ya know?" he grinned rather shyly.
"So, was that your dad at the store tonight?" she asked.
"Oh yeah, you went by?" he said, rather surprised.
"I was looking for you," she admitted. "You were the first person all day that didn't make me feel
out of place or uncomfortable so . . ."
"It's okay," he assured her. "I know how that is, trust me."
"Yeah," she laughed. "I'm sure."
"What? I look like the center of attention around here?" He glanced around the diner full of
people, none of whom seemed to give him a second thought. "Hardly," he told her. "I'm kind of a
pariah around these parts."
"Why's that?" she asked, curious to know how Rawley Academy's most popular senior could
have been reincarnated into a social outcast.
He just shrugged and said, "I guess I just don't fit in."
"You're the nicest person I've met all day," Bella assured him. "They just don't know what they're
missing out on." Ryder's shy grin at her comment made her smile as well. God, he was so sweet.
Could he honestly be even a little like the Ryder Forrest she'd known before?
"So, you were asking about my dad," he reminded her.
"Oh, that's right. Well, I was just curious why he doesn't have an accent. I mean, that can't be
native Massachusetts speak you've got going on," she kidded.
He chuckled, "No, you're right about that. Uh, I was born in Boston, actually but I grew up in
London with my mum. My parents divorced when I was a baby and she was from England
originally so we moved back there. I didn't see much of my dad until a few years back, actually.
My mum, uh . . . well, she passed away. So, I moved back to the States to live with my dad."
"Oh . . . I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been rough, losing her then moving so far away from
your home," she said empathetically.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I guess that's a little of the reason I've had trouble here. It's just been . . .
hard. I feel like I don't fit, ya know?"
Bella nodded and replied, "I totally understand that." More than you know, she added to herself.
"I'm sure you don't have a problem fitting in," he said, smiling. "A beautiful rich girl at a prestigious
private academy. It must be rough."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be," she told him. "I'd much rather my father owned a gas station."
Ryder smirked and said, "Yeah."
"Well," Bella said, "I hate to have to run, but I better be getting back before it gets too late. I'm
sure there'll be hell to pay if I miss curfew."
"We wouldn't want that," he agreed.
"So, maybe we can get together some time, see a movie or something. I've had fun talking to
you, Ryder Forrest."
He nodded and replied, "Yeah, me too. I'd like that a lot."
"I'll stop by the store later in the week. Will you be working?"
"If I'm not then I won't be far and my dad will know where to find me," he assured her.
"Okay," she said as she got up from the booth, "I'll see ya then."
"See ya, Bella Banks," he grinned as he watched her walk towards the door.
She was a block away from the diner when she began wondering what in the hell she was doing.
Ryder, of all people? He was her solution to this problem? But then, none of the people she'd
thought she could always count on seemed to be coming through so she had to go with whatever
worked. And she figured that once she and Ryder got to know each other then maybe she could
ask for his help. And maybe, if he didn't have her committed, he'd be able to get her back where
she belonged.
* * * * *
Author: Courtney
Email: courtneystovall@yahoo.com
Rating: R
Category: Bella POV; Alt-Universe
Summary: Bella wakes up one morning to find everything she knows in life has changed
overnight. Now, caught in some sort of strange reality, can she ever find her way back to the way
things used to be . . . and does she really want to go back?
Disclaimer: I own them all and they'll be appearing this fall on *my* network, ok?
Author's Notes: I wanted to write an alternate universe fic for Young Americans where everything
was just a little different than it had been on the show and in trying to come up with something, I
ended up with this. It's not exactly what I had in mind but we'll see how it turns out I guess.
--------------------------------------------
Part 2
There was a warm breeze blowing across the lake that day as she sat for hours and tried to clear
her head. She'd done this a thousand times in her life; sat by this very lake on a late summer day
with everything and nothing on her mind at once. And today the water looked the same as it
always had, the breeze felt no different against her face than ever before. How could this seem
so familiar when the rest of the world had been turned upside down literally overnight?
With a sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree she sat next to. Her
head was pounding by now and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep and wake up to find
that this whole day had never happened. Perhaps it was just some crazy nightmare and soon her
alarm clock would sound and she'd be pulled headfirst back into reality, only to forget this dream
entirely. She certainly hoped so.
But it was seeming less and less likely as the day wore on that this was all in her head. Her arm
was practically black and blue from having pinched herself so many times in a futile attempt to
return to her normal life. And everything else like time and the weather and her thoughts seemed
all too real. This didn't feel like any dream she had ever experienced. The more she thought
about it, the more she started to think that she must have slipped into another dimension while
she slept and that the Bella Banks who belonged here had taken her place on her own plane of
existence. And now she was the rich girl and her friends were all completely bizarre and nothing
would ever be the same again. But that was crazy, right? It couldn't really happen. But then
again, here she was . . .
She needed someone to talk to. That was becoming more and more clear. She'd never resolve
this situation on her own and she'd surely drive herself insane if she tried. But who would she turn
to? Jake and Will already thought she was crazy so they were clearly not in the running. Scout
didn't seem to like her 'type', so she didn't think that would be a good idea. And she had the
feeling that Hamilton would just humor her more than anything else but that he would never really
believe what she was saying. So, who did that leave? Who else could she possibly ask for help in
this mutated world she'd fallen into?
When his name came into her mind, she was surprised she'd thought of it. They'd never been
friends; more like enemies, really. And he'd never seemed very eager to help anyone as far as
she could tell. But then, if Jake could be the school bitch and Will could be a stuck-up rich kid and
Scout and Hamilton could be jaded townies then why couldn't Ryder be a nice guy? It would
certainly be the polar opposite of his normal persona.
She got up, deciding it was worth a shot. After all, he might be her last hope.
* * * * *
She was glad to see that the grocery store was still opened when she arrived back there. She
hadn't realized how late it was getting until she noticed the shadows stretching further down the
main street as she re-entered town that afternoon. But someone was still there when she finally
arrived back at Forrest Grocery.
"Good afternoon, young lady, how may I help you?" an older gentleman who lacked the English
accent she'd been hoping to hear asked her.
"Um, I'm looking for Ryder," she said hopefully.
"Oh, he just left a few minutes ago. I think he went to Friendly's to grab some dinner," the man
offered. "Would you like me to point you in that direction?"
Bella smiled and said, "No thank you, I know where it is," then she turned to leave.
She entered the glass front door of Friendly's only a few minutes later and immediately scanned
the room for him. She found him sitting at a booth in the very back corner of the restaurant with
his back to her. And, she was surprised to see that he was all alone.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked as she stopped beside his table. Ryder looked up, apparently
surprised that anyone had spoken to him.
"Uh . . . no, have a seat," he responded cordially.
Bella sat across from him and found herself smiling at his familiar, although decided more
amiable, face. "You don't remember me," she stated simply. No one else had remembered today,
why should he? He'd barely known her before. She hardly expected that he would--
"Of course I remember you," he said, breaking her thoughts and lifting her hopes as she thought
that perhaps finally someone else was in on this strange game she had been forced into the
middle of. Maybe . . . "You're the girl from the grocery this afternoon," he said with a smile and
her hopes came crashing down again. He didn't remember after all.
"Yes, that's me," she verified, but he could see the disappoint flash across her face with his
words.
"I've said something wrong," he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"
"No, it's not you. You haven't done anything," she assured him. "You're being nice and letting me
sit with you even after I acted like a complete moron at the store this afternoon. I'm sorry about
that, by the way. I don't know what was wrong with me."
Ryder shrugged and said, "No big deal. You just seemed a little stressed."
Bella chuckled. "You don't know the half of it."
"Anything you'd like to talk about?" he asked.
She considered it for a moment, she really did. She could have easily spilled out the whole story
right then and there; dumped all the sorted details into his lap and left him to help her put together
the puzzle . . . but then she thought better of it. What good would that do? He barely knew her; all
he would think was that she was crazy and then she'd once again be all alone. No, she had
managed to connect with one person all day and she was not about to scare him off so soon by
making him think that she'd gone off her lithium or something. "I just have a lot of stuff going on
right now," was all she ended up replying.
He nodded. "I know the feeling. So, I don't think we've been properly introduced. The name's
Ryder Forrest," he said as he extended his hand across the formica tabletop.
"Bella Banks," she replied as she shook his hand and smiled.
"A Rawley girl, I'm guessing."
"It's that obvious, huh?" she said with a slight smirk.
"That's not a bad thing," he assured her.
"It just seems like everyone I've met today has . . . mentioned it. I dunno, I guess I'm just not used
to it," she shrugged.
"You're new in town, then?" he questioned.
"Um . . . in a way yes and in a way no," she answered. "But I do go to Rawley Girls. What about
you?"
"Oh, strictly the public school route," he said. "My dad owns the grocery. Not much money in
produce, ya know?" he grinned rather shyly.
"So, was that your dad at the store tonight?" she asked.
"Oh yeah, you went by?" he said, rather surprised.
"I was looking for you," she admitted. "You were the first person all day that didn't make me feel
out of place or uncomfortable so . . ."
"It's okay," he assured her. "I know how that is, trust me."
"Yeah," she laughed. "I'm sure."
"What? I look like the center of attention around here?" He glanced around the diner full of
people, none of whom seemed to give him a second thought. "Hardly," he told her. "I'm kind of a
pariah around these parts."
"Why's that?" she asked, curious to know how Rawley Academy's most popular senior could
have been reincarnated into a social outcast.
He just shrugged and said, "I guess I just don't fit in."
"You're the nicest person I've met all day," Bella assured him. "They just don't know what they're
missing out on." Ryder's shy grin at her comment made her smile as well. God, he was so sweet.
Could he honestly be even a little like the Ryder Forrest she'd known before?
"So, you were asking about my dad," he reminded her.
"Oh, that's right. Well, I was just curious why he doesn't have an accent. I mean, that can't be
native Massachusetts speak you've got going on," she kidded.
He chuckled, "No, you're right about that. Uh, I was born in Boston, actually but I grew up in
London with my mum. My parents divorced when I was a baby and she was from England
originally so we moved back there. I didn't see much of my dad until a few years back, actually.
My mum, uh . . . well, she passed away. So, I moved back to the States to live with my dad."
"Oh . . . I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been rough, losing her then moving so far away from
your home," she said empathetically.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I guess that's a little of the reason I've had trouble here. It's just been . . .
hard. I feel like I don't fit, ya know?"
Bella nodded and replied, "I totally understand that." More than you know, she added to herself.
"I'm sure you don't have a problem fitting in," he said, smiling. "A beautiful rich girl at a prestigious
private academy. It must be rough."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be," she told him. "I'd much rather my father owned a gas station."
Ryder smirked and said, "Yeah."
"Well," Bella said, "I hate to have to run, but I better be getting back before it gets too late. I'm
sure there'll be hell to pay if I miss curfew."
"We wouldn't want that," he agreed.
"So, maybe we can get together some time, see a movie or something. I've had fun talking to
you, Ryder Forrest."
He nodded and replied, "Yeah, me too. I'd like that a lot."
"I'll stop by the store later in the week. Will you be working?"
"If I'm not then I won't be far and my dad will know where to find me," he assured her.
"Okay," she said as she got up from the booth, "I'll see ya then."
"See ya, Bella Banks," he grinned as he watched her walk towards the door.
She was a block away from the diner when she began wondering what in the hell she was doing.
Ryder, of all people? He was her solution to this problem? But then, none of the people she'd
thought she could always count on seemed to be coming through so she had to go with whatever
worked. And she figured that once she and Ryder got to know each other then maybe she could
ask for his help. And maybe, if he didn't have her committed, he'd be able to get her back where
she belonged.
* * * * *